Unemployment total passes 1 million
More than 1 million Tennesseans have filed new unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to state data released Thursday.
Another 21,954 jobless Tennesseans filed new claims last week as infections continue to surge in Tennessee. This is the most new claims the state has seen in a single week since July, and pushed the state’s total number of claims to 1,002,908 since March 15.
The number of new and continued claims had been on a fairly steady decline since peaking in April, but began to rise again as winter months brought more infections and a CARES Act extension was signed into law.
Tennessee reported 58,945 continued claims during the week ending Jan. 9.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development paid 66,478 claims last week, totaling more than $38.8 million. The state paid about $7.5 million of this total, and federal payments made up the other $31.3 million.
CARES Act extension rollout begins
An extension to the federal CARES Act signed into law on Dec. 27 allows federal unemployment benefit programs like Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to continue through March.
Eligible Tennesseans will continue to receive unemployment benefits through programs including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation for an additional 11 weeks, concluding the week ending March 13.
Tennessee began paying unemployment benefits under this extension on Jan. 4, according to the state’s department of labor.
Eligible jobless Tennesseans will receive $300 per week in addition to their usual weekly benefit from other unemployment programs under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program for up to 11 weeks. The state began paying this supplement on Jan. 4.
Those receiving benefits from federal and state programs who did not exhaust their benefit amount can continue to complete weekly certifications.
Those who exhausted their benefits before Dec. 26 should have new benefit balances for PUA and PEUC claims and be able to certify as of Jan. 10, according to a post on the state labor department’s Facebook page. If these individuals are unable to certify, they should refile a claim, the post states.
People can go back and certify for missed weeks. Jobless Tennesseans must provide work searches during weekly certifications to receive unemployment benefits.
Tennessee opts into new program for mixed wage earners
Tennessee will also take part in the new federal Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation program designed for those who have 1099 wages as independent contractors and earned wages from a covered Tennessee employer.
The MEUC program allows states to use both sources of income to calculate weekly benefit amounts for mixed earners. Previously, the U.S. Department of Labor only allowed weekly benefits to be calculated based on wages from an employer.
Tennessee will build this federal program into its existing unemployment system once it receives guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor for implementing the new program. The Tennessee Department of Labor does not yet have a timeline for when it will begin paying MEUC benefits.
Currently, Tennessee is paying unemployment benefits under four separate programs:
h Tennessee Unemployment Compensation (TUC)
h Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
h Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
h Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
State: Refusal to accept ‘suitable’ job offers could lead to disqualification
Those who are found by the state to have refused “offers of suitable work” may be disqualified from unemployment benefits programs, Tennessee reiterated in a Jan. 4 release.
The CARES Act extension requires states to have a way for employers to report refusal of suitable work offers, but Tennessee law already required those receiving unemployment benefits to accept “suitable” job offers.
Employers can report alleged offer refusals to the state by providing the name of the person, the title of the job refused, the job’s pay rate and its required duties, according to the release. Employers can also report employees who refuse requests to return to work. Cole Villena contributed.
Cassandra Stephenson covers business at The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network — Tennessee. Reach Cassandra at ckstephenson@tennessean.com or at (731) 694-7261.